Elton John Charges American Radio is 'Ageist'

Elton John

Is American radio "ageist" in choosing what artists it will play?

That's the charge from Sir Elton John in a new biography about the legendary British singer due out later this month. In the book by Tom Doyle, called Captain Fantastic, the 69-year-old John is quoted as saying, "There comes a point where you have to admit that you're not gonna get played on the radio in America because it's ageist. There's a whole stream of different music come along now. And you have to face up to it."

Although John still tours and his classic songs will get played on stations, the last time new music he put out got extensive airplay in the U.S. was 15 years ago.

HeatStreet noted that Madonna also brought up the ageist charge two years back when BBC Radio 1 in the U.K. wouldn't play her new music. A deejay from the station said at the time: "If you ask a 17-year-old about [Madonna], they go, 'Don't care' . . . It's a sign of the times, things change, it's a generational thing."